hey everyone. i just had a recent problem.....ive got a 95 maxima; ever since i took my car to get the thermostat changed, ive been smelling a sweet smell in the vents inside the car; most recently its not so much sweet anymore, its smells like gas, and you can smell it inside AND outside of the car.....2 weeks ago i was getting 2 weeks off a full tank, and this week i probably need to fill back up by saturday.....any ideas??

 

Can you see any visible leaks? Sweet usually means coolant and gas is obviously gas. Have you done anything else recently? I have a 95 and I fixed my gas smell but we all need to know what have you done to it.

 

check the fuel lines that are connected to the fuel filter i had the same problem the fuel smell coming from the vents as same as outside the car
verify that the fuel lines are tight

is there any check engine lights ?

 

i would say check the fuel filter and lines as well.but for the sweet smell.....i really dont know.

 

are you dripping any fluids at all?


try smelling around various places in your engine and look for wet surfaces to locate the sources.

 

no fluid leaks.....i drive it daily, and i usually check under the car; there is ONE cel, but its for the rear o2 sensor on the cat., eventually, it turned off(after so long it just gets stored into the ecu), and its not on, so i dunno...could it be a slight possibility theres a froze caliper(s)???

edit: recent work = thermostat (right after he changed my thermostat i started smelling the "sweet stuff" but this was nearing a month ago) ; knock sensor ; ignition wires; spark plugs (the ignition wires +spark plugs were done back in august of last year though)

 

um slightly off topic..but this guy raised an alarm for me...coz i usually run only a week for like 15 gallons...thats roughly 250-275 miles mostly city driving...this guy is running two weeks for a tank..is mine like really horrible in gas then? i have a 1996 maxima by the way

 

yes. i drive 90% city (stop and go, lights every 1/4 mile) and im getting 370+ per tank

 

and your tank is 18.5 gallons by the way

 

1. How many miles does your Max have?
2. Have you or anyone else replaced any fuel system component ever?
3. That "Sweet Smell," I know this might sound funny, does it smell like sugar free maple? I'm being serious as retarded as it sounds.

 

1. 163,8XX
2.NOPE(not to my knowledge, although i might go look thru the previous maintainence papers)
3. i never "smelled" sugar free maple.....and it doesnt smell like that anymore

 

I really hope you didn't pay to get plug wires replaced.

In any case, if you smell it through the vents (is it with the blower motor on, or off? Heat or AC is irrelevant) could be a weeping heater core. How's the coolant level?

 

coolant level seems ok......and ive been told before it could be the heater core......how much should i EXPECT to pay?? it just seems too damn coincidental, that RIGHT AFTER he changes my thermostat, my car gets this smell!!! he said something along the lines of like 300 for the part ALONG; and i know thats highway robbery

Edit: when i mean right after i mean, the next day.....when i drove it in, i didnt have the problem, when i got it back i smelled that, and he insisted that it was just the spilled coolant

 

He should have cleaned up the spilled coolant and by now the smell should be gone.
Why was the T-stat replaced, were you running cold? If that was the case, now that your running back up at normal temps you cooling system is under a bit more pressure. If you heater core was just starting to weep slightly, it will leak more now that your cooling system is hotter and under more pressure.

There's your sweet smell....

 

could the gas smell(which is what im MOST worried about, as i dont smell the "sweet" everyday, it happens every-so-often)possibly be a loose fuel line clamp or the o-rings on the injectors??? Chicago streets kinda suck during this time of the year, and i have a lowered suspension+springs, so could it be possible that i may have bumped the line, and make it loose to the point where the fumes would come out?

 

 

My first thought is spilled coolant. When he changed your t-stat, he must have spilled some and just didn't hose it off. When you started to drive the car, it was burning off. Now you don't smell it because its all burned off now. No worries. That "sweet smell" is usually burning coolant.

 

That's exactly what I get.
Your city must have much less lights(for stop and go traffic) and much less meaning of the word city, as compared to Chicago, respectively.

 

yea lol

delray is a "city" in florida standards
more like urban spawl

 

oh snap dude im from chicago too...well right outside..lol...i live in lombard...but im here in st paul minnesota i go to school here..yeah well if thats the mileage you get i guess mine is fine then